Choices We Have Made
by ShiroSasaki
Summary: When an opportunity arises for Juane to become the hunter he's always dreamed of, will he take it, despite leaving behind everything he's ever known in the process?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Choices We Have Made  
Author: ShiroSasaki  
Beta: DrummerDancer  
Characters/Pairings: eventual Jaune/Blake, entire cast, OCs  
Disclaimer: I don't own the series.  
Word Count: ~1300  
Rating: T  
Summary: When an opportunity arises for Jaune to become the hunter he's always dreamed of, will he take it, despite leaving behind everything he's ever known in the process?

* * *

There was a school to the north, isolated from the streets and shrouded in as much mystery as there was forest concealing it. Few had ever been allowed to attend, and even fewer knew of its existence. But every once in a red moon, a student was invited to join their ranks. No one knew what criteria he had to meet, but it was assumed he had to be among the most gifted and talented of hunters to even be considered for admission.

As it was, a single woman decked in a dark uniform and a hat appeared early one morning at Beacon Academy. Students watched her file past, with the younger ones staring on in confusion while the older ones whispered rumors and tales about the eagle holding the crest of the wolf stitched on the front of her cap.

But none dared ask her out right what they were all wondering. None dared approach her, make eye contact or even breathe in her direction.

Instead, they waited with baited breath as she disappeared behind the headmaster's door, all harboring a single burning question:

Who had been accepted to the school in the Snowy Forest?

* * *

Standing outside the headmaster's door, head down, shoulder's slumped, hand raised in a fist, Jaune hesitated. He knew why he'd been called down—another failed test and the headmaster was probably fed up with him bringing his team down. Headmaster Ozpin was going to tell him to pack his bags, shut his lights off and get the hell out, he knew. It was such a shame, too-he never had got the chance to ask Pyrrha out to dinner.

But when Jaune opened the door, he realized something was different. He'd expected to see Headmaster Ozpin sitting behind his desk, reading his customary Daily Vale while sipping a cup of coffee.

What he saw was a different story.

There by his desk sat a woman he'd never seen before. She was dressed in a black uniform, with two chest pockets bearing silver buttons with hexagons etched into them. Peeking out of the collar was a white dress shirt with a black tie hitched around the neck, and down the middle was a row of buttons that held the blazer closed.

Around her midsection, she carried a brown pistol belt.

On each side of her collar were stripes and a pin that had two initials carved on it: _JH_. On her upper right just above the chest pocket was an insignia of an eagle with its wings to the side holding a crest, and to her right, she was wearing a red armband with a crest. It had a wolf head holding a bone.

She smiled at him, and he fought the urge to drool when he realized how green her eyes were and how dark her hair was. For a soldier, she sure as hell didn't look like one.

"Ah Mr. Arc. I was expecting you. Come sit." He pointed to the seat in front of his desk next to the uniformed woman.

Jaune did as he was told. He snuck another glance at the woman. Her lips were thin and pink, her chin narrow as she stared ahead, back straight like an iron rod. Maybe she was a soldier after all.

Jaune sat up a little straighter, then wondered if perhaps he'd interrupted their meeting. Guilty, he turned back to Ozpin.

"Is this a bad time Headmaster?"

"Oh no, we were just talking about you."

Jaune swallowed and visibly shrank in size. "You were talking about me?"

Headmaster Ozpin grinned and motioned to the soldier sitting next to them. She turned towards Juane.

"_Guten Tag,_ Mr. Arc," she said. She had a light accent that he guessed came from the eastern kingdom of Vale. "I am Captain Eliza Schwartz. I am the commander of the Jäger Hundes special operations unit created by Headmaster Ozpin to take down any and every Grimm that normal teams cannot. In short…we are the best of the best."

She extended her hand to him as a formal gesture. He flushed but took her hand anyway, taking special notice of how velvety soft her hand was.

"I-It's a pleasure, Captain Schwartz."

"Please, the pleasure is all mine, Jaune."

Flustered, Jaune let go of her hand, then turned deliberately to Headmaster Ozpin to hide how hot his cheeks were.

Ozpin seemed to know how he felt—his eyes were dancing with humor but his face was otherwise schooled. He laced his fingers together and cleared his throat, bringing Jaune back to the matter at hand.

"Mr. Arc, you are here because of the brave example you showed in the Battle of the Emerald forest a couple of weeks ago. You coordinated a successful attack against the Grimm that threatened to destroy the Village of Engel. By having teams come in from the front, left and right, you effectively pushed them back and then had another team set a controlled forest fire that boxed them in. The Grimm were killed and no casualties were sustained. Very impressive for a first year student."

"Headmaster, if I may," Jaune interrupted, embarrassed, "I couldn't have done it without my team or the help of Team RWBY. Really, they should receive the credit."

"And they have Mr. Arc, they have. But they didn't make the plan. You did, you turned a bad situation into a success and that's why you're here. You see, Jaune, you have potential. I see it and Captain Schwartz sees it too. But we both think you won't achieve this potential here at Beacon. So, I am transferring you to the Castle Neuwolfenstein facility where you will be taught personally by Captain Schwartz herself."

Jaune gaped; he was being _transferred?_ To Castle Neuwolfenstein? To train with and become one of the best of the best?

"But...w-what about my friends?"

"They will stay here in Beacon and attend their classes normally." Ozpin's voice was soft but firm.

"But how—"

"Jaune, you wish to become stronger, do you not?" It was Captain Schwartz who spoke up this time. Her voice was smooth and even.

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"You wish to become worthy of your name?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you wish for people to look at you with respect and not pity?"

"Yes, sir! I mean ma'am!"

"Then join me. Become a member of mien unit the Jäger Hundes. I will make you into a hunter worthy of great fortune and respect."

Jaune had heard enough. He could finally look people in the eye. He could finally get the confidence he needed to protect the people he loved. He could finally be worthy of the name bestowed on him at birth.

But would it be worth leaving his friends behind?

He glanced at Captain Schwartz, who was patiently observing him, her expression kind but unreadable. He didn't know her, not really. They just met; they were _strangers,_ yet she already believed in him enough to offer to train him, in a place he'd never been no less.

Ozpin was watching him too; wise brown eyes warm with encouragement. They both believed in him, and they both wanted him to do this, even if he wasn't sure himself.

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, Captain. I will join your Jäger Hundes."

* * *

**I would like to thank DrummerDancer for helping me make this chapter. She is a good friend I could have never have made this without her help and guidance. Thanks DD**

**Also**

**Words written in italic are either in a different language or are to emphasize something. "_Gutten tag"_ Means good after noon in German. " Jäeger Hundes" Means dogs of the hunt in German.**

**This is my first ever fanfiction and I would like to apologize if something is written wrongly. If you have any ****suggestions please PM me or DD**

**Ahah, I'm updating something's because of misspelled words and names and plus. I just remembered Cinder Fall is a person not a place and so I have changed it! **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated. **

**With that I bid you goodnight!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sad Goodbyes

It was sometime later before Ozpin and Captain Schwartz released him back to his room. After he'd accepted their offer, they'd gone over the logistics of the transfer—he was to pack his things and say his goodbyes that evening before heading off via airship in the morning. And they wanted him well rested for the trip—a full eight hours, Eliza had insisted—which meant he had even less time to pack and even less time to say…

To say…

Jaune swallowed. To say _goodbye._ Goodbye. Two syllables; _good_, which was generally a positive term, and _bye_, like 'see you later' or just 'later'.

But what was a _good_ bye? A 'see you later' without the 'see you later' part? How was that _good _at all?

Wound up and agitated, the documents of his transfer still in hand, Jaune didn't even notice a trio of girls standing around up ahead of him. Nor did he notice when they noticed him and waved in his direction, faces first of greeting and then of concern when he didn't acknowledge them back.

In fact, he went as far as to actually _pass_ them before one grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, against the wall as Jaune looked up wide eyed into the face of Weiss Schnee, who was glaring at him like his forehead offended her personally.

Maybe it did.

He swallowed.

To the sides of her were Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, each with their own expressions of worry (markedly more kind than Weiss's) painted across their faces as Weiss let go of him and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Where have you been? And why were you ignoring us?"

Jaune belatedly remembered to breathe. _In__—__out, in__—__out, in__—__out__…__Okay I can do this. Just gotta say that I__'__m going away, that I might not be coming back ever, that this could be one of the last moments they ever see me. Yep. Easy peasy. Just gotta say__—_

Before Juane could finish his thought, Weiss saw the papers with the official seal of the academy scrunched up in Jaune's hand. She snatched them without a second thought.

"Hey give those—!"

"—my, my, what do we have here?" asked Weiss, glancing down at the papers. Behind her, Ruby and Yang looked over her shoulders.

"It says," began Yang, "that you're being transferred…north? To Castle Neuwolfenstein?"

"No _way,__"_breathed Weiss, shocked. _"__You__'__re _the one being promoted up north?"

Jaune frowned. "What do you mean…does everybody know about it or something?"

"Blake saw a strange lady in a dark uniform this morning," Ruby said. "She told us all about what she was doing here."

"I can't _believe_ it!" Weiss yelled, throwing Jaune's papers on the ground. "After everything I've done and how hard I've worked…and they pick_ you_ for that school?" She raised her nose skyward, turning away from all of them. "Unbelievable."

She walked (more like stomped) away, leaving a somewhat starstruck Yang and somewhat somber Ruby in her wake. The two of them looked at him before stooping to the ground to grab his papers.

"When are you leaving?" Ruby asked, handing him her stack.

"Seven tomorrow morning."

"Have you told the others yet?" Yang asked, handing him the rest.

Jaune shook his head. "I just got back from the meeting. I've got to go pack my things now."

"Right." Yang gave him a final glance, gave her sister a little wink, then stuck out her hand. "Good luck!"

Jaune took her hand, grateful that she was sparing him a waterworks show.

"Thanks."

She walked away, leaving just him and Ruby, who was doing her darn-dest to hide how wet her eyes had suddenly gotten. Jaune tried to be polite and not say anything, but the sight was making his own eyes feel kind of hot too and no no no, he was _not _going to cry, darn it! He wasn't he wasn't he wasn't—

"I'll miss you," Ruby said, and then that was it; Ruby was there, in his arms, sobbing loudly into his shirt sleeve, her tears making a wet spot into his clothing.

He rested an arm around her shoulders. Yep, there was nothing _good_ about goodbyes after all.

* * *

After what could have been one of the saddest moments of his time here at Beacon, Jaune returned quietly to his dorm. His eyes were heavy, his throat hurt and he had a really bad headache pounding away at his brain. He laid his hand down, frozen over the nob, nervous for the same reason as before. _I can do this… I can do this. Just like before right? Just walk in say I'm being transferred, pack my things and sleep right? Right! Just turn the knob and-_

Suddenly, the door opened and the light from inside the room shined in his eyes, forcing him to avert them. When they finally adjusted he felt a pair of hands pull him into the room.

"Whoa! What the—"

"Do you _know_ what time it is Jaune?" snapped Pyrrha, her voice crisp and cutting. "It's nearly eight o'clock!"

"You missed our sparing session and Professor Oobleck's class," added Ren. "Where have you been?"

"I was um, in Professor Ozpin's office…" he muttered. His eyes were staring at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the failed exam, would it?" Ren asked. His concern was superficial, on the surface, something he hardly let creep into his voice.

_Crap, I need to speak up and tell them the truth before they worry too much. Darn it. But I don't want what happened with Ruby to happen with Pyrrha. Because then I'd really lose it…_

Jaune breathed. He lifted his gaze up to meet his teammates' faces. He was never that much of a leader. But he would be darned if he didn't act like one cleared his throat, swallowed and inhaled.

"I'mbeingtransferredtoafacilitytotrainwiththebestofthebestandIwon'tbebackuntilnextyearsoIcan becomeastrongerhunter-in-trainingandabetterleaderforyouguys!"

Jaune exhaled quickly, gasping for air. The room went quiet; his teammates were gaping at his sudden and blunt confession. But he felt like a thousand burdens had been lifted from his shoulders, freeing space in his lungs to breathe normally. A relief in the midst of a burden.

The quiet lasted for several minutes before each and every one of them composed themselves (including Jaune). As soon as he heard someone clear their throat, he braced for the worst.

"Well…that…is great news!" Pyrrha said, smile plastered like plastic on her face.

"Yeah! Our fearless leader is gonna be the best of the best!" Nora practically screamed at them. But he could hear it. The sound that gave away how she really felt. The sound of sadness.

"Jaune?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I'm going to miss you, my friend."

Before he could even register what had happened, Ren was hugging him. His arms were over his neck forcing his face on his shoulder. Heat raced to his face as he tried to pry himself off his best friend's body. But before he could, someone else was hugging him from behind—he felt something squishy pushing up against his back and when he turned to see it was Pyrrha holding him as well.

"I'm going to miss you two, Jaune."

Nora stood beside them, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Group—_hiccup_—hug!"

She tackled Jaune from the side and began to sob against his shoulder. Her nails were gripping his and Ren's shoulder.

Jaune crumpled under their weight.

* * *

Team JNPR shed their fair share of tears and reminisced about the old times—like when Jaune had mistaken a Death Stalker's stinger for a relic and rode it all the way to where RWBY was, just barely grasping on for dear life. They laughed, they enjoyed the last night as team JNPR. They drank soft drinks and ate the candy that Nora had been saving for a special occasion. But after an hour of her sugar rush she collapsed on her bed, mumbling about a Nevermore stealing her hammer…perhaps it wasn't the smartest choice letting her eat five Choco bombs in a row.

Jaune smiled as he watched Pyrrha sprawled over her bed, her eyes closed and her breathing even. She truly was beautiful. Maybe when he came back, he would finally be worthy of asking her out. Maybe they'd become more than friends, maybe he'd have something better in his life than what he had now. _I guess I'll just have to wait and see what fate has in store for me at Castle Neuwolfenstein. _He took a deep breath and stood up from his cross-legged position on the floor. He set down his cup on his dresser, taking care not to cause a racket.

The room was mostly quiet save for the sounds of Ren in the bathroom taking a shower. The only available light source was his lamp and the small crack of light escaping the bathroom through the small opening on the bottom. Otherwise the room was dim; Jaune took great care of the sounds he made as he wandered around the room.

He made it over to his closet and fished inside for several moments; when he finally found what he was looking for, Jaune made a sound of contempt and pulled it out. It was his green duffle bag, a rather ragged one that his father had given him. Another hand-me-down, he frowned. It wasn't all that green anymore, either; maybe a light grey olive would be a better way to describe it. Nevertheless, he placed it on his bed and began to put in 'the essentials'. _What are the essentials? Underwear, sleeping clothes, oh—should I take my footsie pajamas? No, that would be a bad idea. Let's see, socks, deodorant, cologne for the ladies…body wash, that's in the shower and Ren's in there as well as my toothbrush. I assume there won't be any toothpaste so I'll take mine. _He looked over his room and noticed a small picture. About five inches wide and four inches long, taped to the wall behind his bed.

_I almost forgot something important!_

Jaune walked over to it and took great care in taking it off.

When he had finally managed to do so, he sat next to his duffle bag that was now mostly full with his items. Picture in hand, eyes scanning the image, he remembered that day. It was his 18th birthday. RWBY and JNPR had thrown him a surprise party with cake, candles, balloons…everything he could've wanted. They even bought him presents—something they had _not_ needed to do—and he'd done his absolute best to thank each and every one of them profusely. Even Weiss had bought him something, although he could have done without her gift. _"How To Be A Proper Gentleman For Idiots," _he remembered.

He'd thanked her anyway—otherwise, she'd have thrown a fit. Plus, had he not…he would've been proving her point that he needed lessons on his manners.

The only person who didn't give him a gift was Blake. In fact, she wasn't even at the party; he guessed she just didn't care much for him. They rarely spoke, rarely saw each other…heck, she was the only one he hadn't said goodbye to out of all his friends. Ruby had told him not to worry, that she had probably been too embarrassed to come since she hadn't bought a present. Maybe that was it—but she hadn't needed to. She could have just come and celebrated with everyone and Jaune would've thought nothing of it.

Jaune set the photo down inside his duffle bag and zipped it up. That was it, the last thing he could pack in the main part of his bag. He'd grab his bathroom stuff in the morning—and then he'd have nothing left to take with him.

He laid down on his bed and spent his last evening at Beacon clawing for sleep that would not come.

* * *

Morning came and Jaune had already said his goodbyes, his _sad_ goodbyes. He had packed the essentials since Headmaster Ozpin assured him everything he needed would already be there by the time he arrived. He left his room without looking back, he already said what he needed and it made no sense dragging it on any longer than he should. _Even if I really want to.._

It was a quarter past five when he left his dorm and the school was starting to come alive as students went out for early breakfast or a morning jog and exercise. He inhaled and exhaled as students went past him, some giving him strange looks of pity while others were green with envy. Maybe it was the fact that he was not in his Beacon uniform; instead, he was in his black hoodie with washed out jeans and black boots. His upper body also held his armor chest plate and his leather gauntlets that covered his hands all the way to his elbow. His Crocea Mors was in his make shift shield sheath holstered on his brown leather belt.

The only thing that was not regular of his battle attire was a green duffle bag that was slung over his shoulder. A rather ripped duffle bag that had seen better days.

But it didn't bother him—Jaune was on his way to becoming the best hunter in all of Beacon Academy history. He might even beat Pyrrha or Ruby! Yet even with that feeling of happiness there was still room for much sadness as he was leaving a life he loved behind to make a new one.

He went passed his teachers who gave him knowing looks and even whispered good luck to him. Professor Port gave him a big smile and a salute on his way out through the campus doors. He could see off in the distance the airship landing zone, but no ship was waiting for him. _Well it is still six thirty. It should be here in twenty minutes. What to do for the last twenty minutes here on my last day of Beacon for the year? _Just then he heard someone shouting his name. It sounded female.

"_Jaune!__"_

There it was! He looked around, from left to right. But he saw no one other than a couple of students jogging around the vast campus .The voice sounded familiar. Could it be?

"Blake?_"_

"Up here, vomit boy_.__"_

He looked up and sure enough, there she was—he could see here body half through the window, her ears free and her serious face like always. She waved at him briefly before jumping down. He quickly moved away from her landing zone, once she dropped down with a single '_umph_', she stared at him quietly. He stared back at her with a look of confusion. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before she spoke up.

"I heard from Weiss and the others that you got accepted into the Castle Neuwolfenstein facility. And judging by how you're dressed and your duffle bag, I guess the answer is pretty obvious that they were telling the truth, huh?" Her eyes were filled with amusement and a hint of…of something he didn't really understand. Sadness? Encouragement, maybe regret? He couldn't tell so he decided to ignore it... for _now_.

"Y-Yes, I'm waiting for the airship to arrive. But what are you doing here Blake—shouldn't you go be with your team training or something?"

"Well, can't a girl come and say goodbye to her friend?" _Friends? Since when __are __we friends?_

"I never said that! Of course you can. B-But it's just we never spoke that much before and I'm a bit surprise is all."

She stared at him a minute before looking down. Then she stared back at his eyes. "Anyway… I just came here to say good luck and here." She fished in her coat pocket for a moment before taking out a small pendant. She then extended it to him, prompting him to grab it.

"B-Blake?" His cheeks lit up a light pink as he stared at the pendant. It had an angel in shining armor with its shield to the side and its sword pointed skyward. It seemed to be made out of steel and it was polished to the chain. It seemed expensive.

"Look this doesn't mean anything so stop acting so flustered, your birthday was last month and everyone got you something…even Weiss and I felt bad I didn't get you anything so yeah. It cost me a pretty bit of Lien so don't lose it. Or you can lose it—I don't really care so much." She looked away, taping her foot impatiently.

"I-I don't know what to say..."

"You could say _thanks_."

"S-Sorry, thanks Blake, I really love it. I will keep it with me always." She smiled at him. A rare smile. He blushed but before he could speak he heard the sound of airship engines. He turned his head towards the helipad and watched as an airship circled it slowly, waiting for permission to land.

"Well I have to—"

"Go? Yeah I figured. But hey, be careful. Come back safe. Oh and bring me back a book or something." She waved at him before turning around and walking away, leaving Jaune confused. _Was Blake sad that I__'__m leaving? Nah, she wouldn__'__t__ be... Would she?_

* * *

As he waited for the ship to descend, he couldn't help but be amazed by the ship that would be taking him to the facility. It was unlike any other ship he'd ever seen—big and grey in the blue sky, like a dark storm cloud on the horizon, completely out of place. Up close, the airship was all sharp steel and slick edged, with only the occasional gear or lever revealed for free movement. Underfoot, the platform almost looked like concrete except Jaune knew it wasn't not because that would be ridiculously hard to carry; but all the same, he knew it'd be strong and secure. On top of the platform, there were rubber mats decorated with the signature wolf biting down on a what he guessed was one of the many leg bones, signifying exactly where Jaune was going.

When it finally landed a few meters from him, he got a closer look. The cock pit was sort of square, with polarized glass on the front, right, and left side to let the pilot see every angle except behind him. It had one jet engine on either side and two bigger rocket engines as well for maximum speed. By the look of it, it seemed like it could break the speed of sound in its full speed. For armaments, it had two Vulcan cannons they were set on a sphere that was integrated to the ship itself to combat any aerial Grimm that was unlucky enough to cross its path. It also had two heavy mass rail guns that were tucked into the retractable wings for ship versus ship dog fights.

What puzzled Jaune was that it had two lower Vulcan cannons behind the wings. He guessed this was to provide support for ground troops. This was not a regular airship, this was a _gun_ ship. For the _military_.

_What did a get myself into?_

Soon enough, when its engines had died down and the ship finally settled on the ground instead of hovering, a side hatched opened, revealing Captain Schwartz in her uniform. She jumped off it and began to walk towards him. Soon after two other soldiers jumped as well. They were dressed differently. They had combat uniforms, ones with a sort of wilderness pattern to them. They wore black combat boots and their trousers were tucked into them. On their upper body they had a green vest that had multiple cartridge pockets and utility pouches as well as couple of knife sheaths with knives in them. Under that, they wore long sleeved jackets that matched their trousers. On their arms, they sported a black armband with the Jager Hundes symbol. They wore black gloves and weird helmets that gave no clue of their faces. They only had a polarized black visor that covered their eyes and a black material that was like a gas mask over the lower portion of their faces; and on top of their heads, they wore round helmets that covered the tips of their ears and the back of their necks. Leaving only the front exposed, they were carrying heavy automatic dust rifles that were also mech-weapons by the look of them. What they changed into he did not know.

"Ah Mr. Arc. I see you arrived here on time." Came the voice of none other than Headmaster Ozpin. He stood behind him, hand propped on his cane and the other in his pocket. His coffee cup was nowhere to be seen. Very out of character for him.

"Good morning Professor. Come to see me off?"

Ozpin smiled and held out his hand. "But of course! How can I not say goodbye to one of my most important students?" Jaune's face went a deep red at the compliment as he took Ozpin's hand.

"T-Thank you sir, I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't lad, I know you won't. Just remember that you are only as strong as your heart his. Please take great care of yourself and make all of Beacon proud of you." He placed his hand on his shoulder as a sign of caring and encouragement. His voice was soft with a touch of friendliness.

"Y-Yes sir, I will!" He looked up to him, his eyes full of strong resolve.

Ozpin just smiled and ruffled the young man's hair. Soon after Captain Schwartz joined them and asked if Jaune was ready.

Jaune nodded, not a word left his lips. He just followed her into the gunship and sat down.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"Just a little, but I'm mostly worried about getting airsick. It seems it's a curse…"

She stayed quiet for a moment then dug her hand into her coat pocket, producing a small orange pharmaceutical container. She opened it carefully then took out two tablets. They were small and white, about the size of a pea. She then moved her hand forward.

"Here, this should take care of that. You haven't had breakfast have you?"

"N-No I haven't, Captain." He took them carefully. He stared at the pills quietly. _She doe__sn__'__t expect me to take these without water, right?_

"Ah, almost forgot." She turned to the side where one of the soldiers had just finished getting on. "Ivan, können Sie Ihre Kantine geben?"

"Ja, Kaptain!" He unfasten his canteen and handed it over to the captain who gave it to Jaune. He stiffened up.

"Thank you, Captain."

He opened the canteen and placed the pills in his mouth, swallowing them as he took a drink. He gave the canteen back to the soldier who didn't say anything. Captain Schwartz nodded and then pointed to the window next to him.

"Looks like you have a going away crowd, Mr. Arc."

He looked puzzled and then turned to the window and surely enough he saw them—Team RWBY and his own team, waving at him.

Pyrrha was waving with a smile, though her eyes were noticeably shiny. Nora was jumping up and down trying her best to be noticed by him. She had a really big grin. Ren had a serious face but he nodded at him and waved.

Ruby was trying to hide her tears again by hugging Yang who was waving at him with a pervy grin and Weiss, well Weiss was just standing there. But Blake was looking at him through the window. A knowing look in her eyes that made him grab the amulet she gave him. As the ship started to ascend water started to cloud his vision. He couldn't cry now—Captain Schwartz was in front of him. He waved at them and slowly they started to get smaller and smaller. Then Beacon became a blip in his line of vision, a tiny dot, then…nothing. Jaune turned his gaze towards the ground, fighting off the tears that threatened to spill. But then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok to cry, Jaune, they were your comrades—your friends." He looked up to see a smiling Eliza Schwartz with a kind look in her eyes.

_Was this really the right choice? Is losing my friends worth it?_

He cried quietly for the better part of the flight. The captain nor the soldiers accompanying her judged him or thought less of him. Because they knew that this was the last time he would ever feel this weak again.

* * *

**As promised! Chapter two!**

**Wow! So many reviews and favorites! Id like to thank DrummerDancer for helping me make this scene perfect. Without her you wouldn't have enjoyed this chapter like me. Oh if you are a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist Be sure to Visit her storys, she has lots of them and they are well written. I actually like quiet a few.**

**I also started a new story, a new AU one where Jaune and Ren are brothers and there is no hunters only soldiers. Be sure to read it as well. **

**Reviews are completely and utterly accepted. **

**Love yall!**


End file.
